Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-07

had no chance of getting ship for four
years. He determined TO amuse himself
in this interval by running the blockade.
de took the name, and as long as he re-
manned in the business was known as
capt. Roberts," He made eight sue
cessful trips to Wilmington and out
again, starting from Bermuda or Nassau,
and undoubtedly clearing large sums Of
money, for though often hard pressed he
met with no serious mlshaps. On his
last voyage, however, ne brought out
yellow fever, and after losing many OF
his men and just escaping with
his own life he decided to quit the
business, the more readily as the increaS-
ing efficiency of the blockade made the
risks continually greater. The vessel in
which lie made most of his runs was
fast and stanch double screw steamer
Of 400 tons. Her spars were reduced to
a pair of light lower masts, without yards.
Her hull, showing eight feet above water,
was painted dull gray. The boats were
lowered square with the gunwales. The
funnel telescoped and the coal was smoke
less anthracite. At night the vessel was
practically invisible. Steam was blown
off n0iselessly under water. Among the
fowls taken on board for provisions no
cocks were allowed tor fear of their crow
ing. To get into Wilmington the Oh,
az Capt. Hobart calls her, had to run
through d double Gordon OF cruisers, and
she was generally seen and chased at some
part of the lines. Once, after lodging
her pursuers all day and all night, she
found steamer close alonside her.
How she had got there without our knowl-
edge is mystery to me even now. However,
there she was, and we had hardly se5n her
before stentoTian voice howled out, 'Heave
to in that steamer or I'll SINK you" 1t
ad al hut ] dafarnai N al IN
try ruse before giving the little craft up.
So l answered, Aye, aye, sir, we are
stopped" The cruiser was about eighty yard ;
from us. We heard orders given to man
and arm the quarter boarts, we saw the
boats low iuto the water, we saw them
coming, we heard the crews laughing and
cheering at the prospect of their prize. The
bowmen had Just touched the sides of our
vessel with their 5oathOoks when l whispered
down the tube into the engine room. Full
speed ahead" and away We shot into the
darkness.
i don't know what happened; whether the
Captain OF the man of war thought that his
boats had taken possession, and thus dId not
sry to stop us. or whether he stopped to pick
up his boats in the rather nasty sea that WAS
running, some one who reads this may know.
A II can saw is that not shot was fired, and
that in less than a minute the pitch darkness
hid the cruiser from our view. This was q
great piece OF luck.
Alter other narrow escapes the Oh
reached the entrance to Cape Fear river
and showed light from the harbor side
OF the vessel. This was answered by two
lights being placed a short distance apart
on the beach, SO low that they could not
be seen from the fleet, and by getting
these lights into line the blockade runner
found the channel and steamed in. When
morning broke Hobart counted twenty
five cruisers behind him and on the shore
in flames was fine blockade runner
which had been beached in the night to
avoid capture.
1t will be difficult to erase from ny memory
the excitement OF the evening we made our
little craft fast alongside the quay at Will
mlngton; the CONGRATULATIONS we received.
the champagne cocktail we lmbibed, the
eagerness with which We gaze aud received
news, the many questions we asked, such as
How long shall We be unload ngy" "Was our
cargo of cotton readyf" show many bale
could we carryY "How Othet block AIDE run
ners had fared2" ETC.; aud the visits
from thirsty and hungry Southerners
Of all ranks and denominations, many
OF whom mad not tasted alcohol in
any form for months, to whom whatever they
liked 10 eat or drink was freely given, accom-
panied by congratulations ON all sues. All
these things, combined with tho delightful
feeling OF security from capture and the s. O.
rious prospect OF a good nights rest in Il four
poster, wound one up into an ineXpresSib e
state of jollity. IL some OF us had q little
ueduhCuc III lit InOTnlNE sure y IL WAS small
blame to us. Our hosts cocktails, made OF
champagne bItters and pounded ice, soon
put all things to rights; and after breakfast
we lounged down TO the quays on the river
sde, which were piled mountains high with
cotton bales ana tobacco tierces, and
mixed in the lively and busy scene OF
dlscharging, selling and shipping cargoes.
Besids the ships cargo Hobart brought
in an invoice Of merchandise on his own
account. This consisted of thousand
corsets, five hundred boxes Of Cookies
pills and quantity OF toothbrushes.
The corsets were sold Immediately at Il
profit Of 100 per cent. FOR t0othbruobes
there was no demand In Wilmington, but
they were disposed of in Richmond for
seven times their cost. Cookies pills the
Coniederates would not have ut any
price, and they were finally taken 10
Nassau and EXCHANGED for matches
On the way out, well loaded
with cotton, HobarVs ship was chaso d
all day by cruiser which was slowly
overbauilng him, and he only saved him.
self by taking advantage OF the Gulf
stream. AsisOpn as 40 crossed the ripple
which marks the edge OF the stream be
turned into the current, there running
two or three kdots IN hrs favor. nis pur-
suer changed course at the same time
without waiting 10 reach the current,
and thus Habart gained q lead OF several
miles. BY dusk the war vessel was with
in range and began firing, but the Oh
was not hit aud under cover OF darkness
she hauled oil 10 one side and let the
cruiser 90 by.
lie visited Richmond ard saw Davis
ard Lee. Gen. Lee was discouraged by
the military situation (this was while
Grant was besieglng Petersburg), but the
Southern people generally showed blind
onnndaupa vliph Hoharl anpaara IN hay o
found surprising, Then he ran the "land
blockade" withoutvery serious difficulty,
and amused himself Tor while In New
YORK, which he pronounces the most de-
lightiul city in the world, except, per-
haps, Paris and London.
When he entered the Turkish navy his
services were especially desired TO stop.
the blockade running by which the -
kept alive the Cretan insurrecti2
sldering everything Il Is mol
- he was easily succanz
- a. Q. -